Trump does not understand the Russia threat, says CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency, via out-going Director John Brennan, hit back against the Twitter attack of President-elect Donald Trump. In a Sunday morning interview, Brennan assessed that Trump doesn’t understand the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s wide-ranging ambitions to re-establish Russia as a power player on the global stage. That criticism echoes the Democratic charge that Trump is not ready, and perhaps ill-suited to the Presidency.

“I don’t think he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia’s intentions and actions that they are undertaking in many parts of the world, and that’s what the obligation and responsibility of the intelligence community is,” Brennan said.

“Are you concerned when you hear Mr. Trump in that interview with the Wall Street Journal already talking about a situation where he might lift sanctions?” Wallace asked.

“I think he has to be mindful that he does not yet have a full appreciation and understanding of what the implications are of going down that road, as well as making sure he understands what Russia is doing,” Brennan replied.

“What are the implications of going down that road?” Wallace asked.

“Well, when we look at what’s happening in Ukraine, and what’s going on in Syria, and what there is happening in the cyber realm, I think Mr. Trump has to understand that absolving Russia of various actions it has taken in the past number of years is a road that he, I think, needs to be very very careful about moving down,” Brennan said.

Trump has said he would lift sanctions on Russia. “If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?” he told the Journal.